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Iounopolis
Widely believed to be an exaggeration of Lacewings, Iounopolis is described as the jewel of the Lacewing Empire. Stories tell tales of non magical wonders such as towering structures made of steel, fire pits that could move the continent across the Roil, living metal, and wind carts capable of moving living beings from one side of the city to the other. Replete with riches, the island is also said to be the home of Harosh’s herald Markix. The Fall of Iounopolis Oral tradition tells of a city devoid of crime, dedicated to knowledge, and obsessed with perfection. Sometime during the Record less Age every citizen of Iounopolis fell to madness. Scholars rent and tore at each other screaming gibberish Refugees watched as inventors turned on each other, unleashing unstoppable weapons in an apocalyptic free for all. The conflagration as the continent burned threw Iounopolis off of it’s suspension and Iounopolis fell into the Roil. The story is most often told as a humility parable. While most assume that the loss of the continent is just a way to cover lacewing exaggerations, sightings persist to this day. Iounopolis hunters maintain that not only did the continent not fall into the Roil, but that it’s near destruction caused it to lose it’s attraction to the Roil and wander the sky. Despite this, the only hunter to ever claim to visit Iounopolis within recorded history, a lacewing named Corin, came back insane, murderous, and with no proof. Noteworthy Locations *The Sulfurian Labyrinth- Legend states that in return for the riches of their rare metals the citizens of Iounopolis would harvest from the continent, they were required to create a large series of tunnels filled with the blood of Harosh. They would then harness, without the aid of magic, the power of lightning from Harosh’s veins. As their society grew, more and more labyrinthine tunnels spanned the inner workings until much of it’s interior was lined with metal. *Texo Forge- The source of all wonders, a colosseum of limitless potential and craft. This is where all the wonders of Iounoplis were produced using the fire of a volcano. The first ioun stones were created here, and not just small ones designed to augment individuals, but larger ones designed to orbit and augment buildings, ships, and cities. Forge was most famous for creating windmill tools, creations of all sizes powered by windmills small enough to fit in one’s hand or large as a castle. It was also the proving grounds for crafters to pit their best creations against each other. Just one of Forge’s blueprints would be worth a fortune. *The Cursed Vault- Iounopolis extolled the pursuit of absolute power and knowledge, and nothing is more powerful or unknown than the powers of a cursed object. Iounopolis studied cursed magical weapons, tools, and relics more than anything else. Whereas Forge built the marvels of Iounopolis, to study in the Cursed Vault was a sign of great prestige only extended to those who had undergone the Purge with Markix, a private ceremony that removed all emotion. The Cursed Vault required no guards, as unpurged trespassers would often find themselves the victims of their own spoils. *The Melting Stone- At the center of the continent sits The Melting Stone. Believed to be a piece of Harosh’s heart, legend describes it as a non magical stone that glows with a celestial green warmth. Jealously guarded by lacewings, the Stone would inflict a wasting curse on any non lacewing that viewed it starting with loss of hair, teeth, and fingernails, leading to painful sores and growths, followed by death. The Melting Stone sits within the Altar of Black Stone in the rectory of the Temple of Harosh where thirty eight Sulfurian veins meet. *The Black Cloud- Visible from many leagues away, the Black Cloud arises from the central tower. Though the tallest and widest structure on the island, the Black Cloud is the only structure that is uninhabited and made of ordinary stone. From it’s roof rises a poisonous fog that rises high into the sky. *The Temple of Harosh- Decorated with gemed mosaics, mithral friezes, adamantine gates, crystal benches, and lined with platinum, the Temple of Harosh was built as permanent home of Harosh’s Herald Markix, a being with a face of indestructible glass, a body of adamantine, and veins of crystal and gold. From here he would extoll the virtues of progress and direct all aspects of lacewing life. *The Hatchery- Lined with eggs and cocoons, their experiments included mixing magic, natural cures, and engineering to make life stronger, more versatile, and more resistant. It contained a vast repository of augmented diseases and virulent poisons. *The Ioun Observatory- The lacewings of Iounopolis believed that all of existence was made of Ioun stones. They believed that all continents were Ioun stones that orbited an even larger Ioun stone deep within the Roil. They believed that all of the Skylands orbited an even larger Ioun stone with other equally large Ioun stones. These super Ioun Stones were the stars, stars that also orbited larger Ioun stones into infinity. This building housed a spyglass large enough to observe distant Ioun stones for scrying and communication.